Millions in Poverty Get Less Coverage Than 482 Billionaires
New FAIR study documents TV news’ lack of interest in the poor.
Peter Hart
Ukraine Tips From Nameless US Officials: Good Enough for NYT
Apparently the people who know best about what’s happening in Ukraine are US government officials who won’t let their names be printed in the newspaper.
Time on Iraq War: What Did We Do to Deserve This?
Many corporate news accounts treat the chaos in Iraq as proof that the good intentions of a US superpower cannot overcome tribal grievances. Michael Crowley’s cover story for Time, “The End of Iraq,” might be the quintessential example.
Netanyahu Can Disinform on Iran Just as Well as Iraq
NBC’s David Gregory says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “well-briefed” on the US position on Iran’s nuclear program. But that shouldn’t be confused with being knowledgeable.
Journalism Without Information
Time magazine tries to tell you three things you should know about an important and powerful politician. What they tell readers is something else.
FAIR TV: War Pundits Time Warp, Framing Iraq, NBC Self-Promotion
It’s 2003 all over again, as Iraq “experts” who promoted the 2003 invasion are back on TV screens offering expert analysis about what to do next. And we take a look at some of the revealing language US reporters are employing to frame Iraq as a place that keeps forcing the US to attack it. […]
Iraq and Your Gas Tank
When it comes to US foreign policy and warmaking in the Middle East, you’re not supposed to talk about oil. But the network newscasts went out of their way to let you know that Iraq was making your next trip to the gas station more expensive.
The Iraq Surge ‘Worked’ All Over Again
Treating “the US troop surge worked” argument as a fact, as Engel is doing, is very dangerous–since it logically suggests that it is only the presence of US troops that can keep Iraq safe.
CNN Brings Back Those Who Were Wrong on Iraq
TV coverage of the current Iraq crisis looks a lot like 2003, when pro-war pundits, former generals and hawkish politicians dominated the debate. CNN’s Situation Room, hosted by Wolf Blitzer, illustrates how TV has returned to that narrow, pro-government discussion of Iraq.
‘Drawn Back Into War’ in Iraq
It’s revealing to see how reporters talk about the prospect of the United States military going back to war in Iraq. Indeed, many reporters made it sound like something that was being done *to* the United States:
Chelsea Manning Speaks—But Who Listened?
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning speaks in the pages of the Sunday New York Times. But was anyone else in the media listening?
Debating Iraq in 2014: Wrong All Over Again
The crisis in Iraq has brought war back to the US airwaves. But if you were expecting a more robust discussion about US military action this time around, think again. The rule seems to be that if you were wrong in 2003, you’re still an expert in 2014.
Iraq Is a Place Where Americans Suffered
In the wake of Sunni militants overtaking Mosul, US media still tell the story of the Iraq War as if US suffering is what really matters.
Crossfire Clueless on Israeli Occupation
CNN’s Crossfire is ostensibly a debate between the left and the right. But the show’s debate over Hillary Clinton’s new book show how the format can become meaningless,
Joe Klein on the Itchy Grievances of Minority Groups
Time columnist Joe Klein wants Democrats like Hillary Clinton to keep their distance from “minority groups who are itchy to file grievances” over things like poverty.
FAIR TV: Bowe Bergdahl, NBC Slams Snowden, CNN Boosts Bush
On the show this week: Bowe Bergdahl’s release prompts waves of media panic about former Guantanamo prisoners “returning to the battlefield.” Plus NBC goes heavy on Edward Snowden critics and CNN buys a George H.W. Bush documentary funded by… the Bush library. Watch:
USA Today and Wal-Mart Poop
USA Today calls pro-worker activists protesting Wal-Mart “party poopers.”
Writing Unions Out of the Story on Fighting Poverty
NY Times looks at the some new research on the failure to reduce poverty–but doesn’t mention the minimum wage or strengthening workers’ power through unions.
Botching the Prisoners ‘Returning to the Battlefield’ Story
In their Bowe Bergdahl coverage, some media outlets are stoking fears about freed Guantanamo prisoners ‘returning to the battlefield.’
Bruni’s ‘Middle’ = Corporate Tax Cuts and No Minimum Wage Hike?
Andrew Cuomo is a ‘centrist’ politician–meaning one who promotes unpopular policies on behalf of the very rich.
